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Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Vampifan's Sexy Waitresses

My review of my Chinese restaurant staff that I posted last time went down extremely well. So, in a similar vein, here are a collection of five 28mm scale sexy waitresses that I'd sculpted in the 1990's. These were designed to be used in a seedy nightclub for a role-playing scenario. I can't remember which game I originally made them for, but they have seen use in a few different RPGs that I games mastered..

At the far left of the photos is Rachel. I only gave the girls forenames. She is either inviting guests to the club or showing them to their table.
Next to her, Cindie is shown holding a silver serving plate as she makes her way back to the kitchen.
In the centre of the group, Zoe, is cheekily bending down to place her plate of drinks on a guests table. If you look at the rear view of her, you'll see exactly what I meant by "cheekily bending down!" Nice view!
My favourite sculpt of all the girls is Emma, who is fourth in line. I love her smile which has come out perfect. I also love her flirtatious pose as she cheekily hoists the side of her dress up.
Last in line is Debee, who stands in a static pose with her hands on her hips.

The inspiration for the uniforms came from an unlikely source - an old X-Men comic. A couple of the X-Men superheroines infiltrated a Hellfire Club meeting by disguising themselves as waitresses. These figures are inspired by those illustrations. I had a lot of fun sculpting and painting these. I thought that they'd provide a bit of festive cheer to my blog.

They're great Bryan, and we all believe you got your inspiration from a comic (wink, wink) and Rachel could be offering more than a table to guests. Should we be pleased that you haven't got one of them brushing her teeth ?

Good work Bryan,you know how much I value your sculpting skill. Why don't you try to sculpt something ? Just to see if you've changed you techniques, you even could make a little tutorial (hint hint hint) .. ;)Ciao e Buon Natale!!! :D

Hi, Gnotta. There are two reasons for not sculpting any more. First is a lack of time . although if it was something I really wanted to sculpt I would find the time. Secondly, there is nothing I want to sculpt. The amount of figures available now are far, far greater than was available ten or more years ago. I used to sculpt figures that no one else made. But now I find that is no longer the case.

Hi Bryan, thanks for another good post. This probably isn't the right place but I wanted to thank you for your blog, I started reading it a couple of years ago and you blog reports got me back into gaming after a 15 year layoff, its been a great inspiration fot me. I think your sculpts are good and I like your painting style, it is unique and consistant. I have always painted with oils and am thinking of making the investment into acrylics, I remember in your blog that you changed from 1 manufacturer of paint to a different one, could you comment on what was wrong with the 1st one and has the new one turned out better, also who they were a I cannot remember. Thanks again - John

John, the paints I use now are by Foundry and the ones I ditched were by Games Workshop. GW are just a bunch of money-grabbing, greedy sods and I want nothing more to do with them. Also, GW ditched a lot of their flesh tones, which really annoyed me. The Foundry paints have proved to be a vast improvement. They work on the triad system in which each colour comes in three shades - shadow, base colour and highlight. The colours complement each very well and of course can be mixed for even greater variety. In addition, Foundry sell a boxed set of just flesh tones, covering loads of ethnic skin tones. I am more than happy with the Foundry paint range.

Hi Bryan! Very nice sculpts as always! I have many old X-Men but i don't remember see them like your waitresses in a bar, i would love to see Jean Grey and Storm like this hehe. Nice work on the legs it must be hard to paint fishnet stockings (thank you google for translation of this word :)) or do you make it with a felt-tip pen?

I have little questions on ATZ for you and i don't find answers in the rules maybe i don't see it. For example i take in sight test against two gangers. They shoot first. I'm stunned. Next turn i can't act so they fire on me again? But if i'm stunned i do nothing on a result of duck back? i'm little confused with this. If they have a zombie who is walking to them far away, they shoot him or me? or if they are alone on the map they fire when they see zombies in sight? Last one is for the auto-kill "popping the weasel". What is the minimum number of d6 for the weapon? i roll only 2 dices if i have a double-handed? It's wrote "any result is an automatic obviously dead" so when i knocked down a zombie in melee, in the same turn after the fight i can kill him automatically every times? I must miss something or my translation of this rule is bad. I'm sorry to bother you with this. Thank you!

The X-Men comic I refer to could be about 20 years old. I do remember that Rachel Summers was one of the two X-Men who dressed up as a waitress but I forget who the other one was. I don't think it was Jean Grey or Storm.

I used a Rotring Rapidograph technical drawing pen to draw on the fishnet stockings pattern. There is no way that I could do them with a paintbrush!

If you are Stunned then there is no need to take a Reaction test. Just stay down and hope the Gangers don't kill you. Zombies do not trigger an In Sight test. The Gangers could shoot at the newly seen zombie if he is in range. Or they could shoot at you if you are still stunned in the hope that they get a better result. It's their choice.

As for the Auto Kill rule, the minimum number of dice to use depends on the Target Rating of the weapon. A Pistol or a BA Pistol has a Target Rating of 1 or 2, so the minimum would be a 1. However, a Shotgun has a Target Rating of 3, so that would be its minimum. By rolling 3d6, you might still get an Out of Ammo result if you roll two or more ones.In melee combat, against a prone zombie, you must still roll to hit. If you score any success, (a roll of 1, 2 or 3) you then get an automatic Obviously Dead result. In most cases you will get an automatic kill, but most cases is not all cases.

Yes i use Rotring too. Expensive pen but i use them for work. I had the idea to use plans from my work when i enter a building. They are A0 size plans so they are big enough to have fun like hostel ou factory plans. I printed an AO satellite map too of my country and i have marked strategic places on it like grocery, supermarket, "gendarmerie", gunshop (In France we have not many like US, rare ressource but i am an hunter i have two double barrelled rifle in my home, i'm an army reservist since ten years then i began my campaign as a military hehe )

Thank you for help me on the rules, for autokill it was an error a translation i think. Now it make sense to me, I got it!

Yeah A0 is very huge! I'm lucky i can print them from my office. It's really funny to use these plans when you enter building. I have a little problem with the scale of rooms but it's not very important i adapt the moves. After three game tests inside it's really playable and the thousand of details give many unexpected situations.

So i'm not a survivalist but having a big big satellite view to study with spots on it when you plan a campaign is really cool. This give a real side to the game, i love it. ATZ is a drug!

My project in future is making a big mall like Dawn of the Dead. But i need time and i don't know where i can buy this time heheHowever I can't wait to reading youre next batrep ;)

Pandafurtif, I too would love to make my own shopping mall for ATZ, but like you, the big problem is finding the time to do it. Such a project would take years to complete. Not only that, just think of the amount of space you'd need to store it. I suspect that this is going to be one project that will forever remain a pipe dream!

http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/summary/thing/5086/page/8Too little for ATZ but the idea is very good. Or with scale modifications maybe.

It's made with Electronic Mall Madness, a girl toy with sound and more. On other hand it's perfect for Last Night on Earth rules. Nice game too but ATZ makes working my imagination, it's not the case with pure board game even if LNOE is really fun and i spent good evening with it.

Santa was very kind i recieve many new zombies and gangs. Painting waits after me! I suspect my girlfriend to speak with him ;)

I was unlucky tonight, my star is alone after 3 weeks with only a golf club and i felt on a robbery. My new "Chicken Hermanos" gang had MP and BAP. One of them kill me with full 6 to hit and full one for damage, it's incredible i don't believe it myself!. The 3 gangers was 4 and two 5 rep, my star is gone i can't use Larger than Life. Dark days are coming!

How do you resolve this, i had this case:

You take in sight test against 3 gangers, 2" away. All roll 1 include you. They have ranged weapon but not you, maybe you have only baseball bat for example. In rules all take the action in the same time. But if you want to charge them, they shoot at you before your charge? I don't see how resolve such action "in the same time".I think i'm at the last questions on the rules, all goes very well now :)

I'm not sure why you didn't use your Star Advantages to avoid the death of your Star. Star Power can reduce the damage from Obviously Dead to Carry On. I love that advantage! If that didn't work, why not use the Cheating Death advantage? Sure, you lose a level of Rep but at least you're still alive.

In the melee example it is similar to what Vampifan faced when he encountered the two carjackers. You are wrong about the gangers shooting you before you charge. If you score higher than them on the Charge Into Melee test they cannot fire at you. If you score equal they will only fire once and may miss. If they score better than you than they fire at full Target Rating and you will probably get shot. I hope that helps sort out your problem.

Yep it was only if all gangers and me had the same score for the in sight test. So if i understand I can charge but they can shoot at me one time. It makes sense thank you.

I used my Star Power but i failed.. No success! You're right for cheating death but my hero is in pain with a small rep of 2. Hehe but it's fun i will see how he can survive this! I have only a bat, i don't use my rifle because i play with house rule for amno and i don't have amno anymore. I began with 2D6 amno and i must find new amno when i search car or building. It's pretty hard to find but it makes the game more realistic. If i find it too hard in future maybe i will return to the rule.

You have a Rep:2 Star? Seriously mate, you should leave him dead and buried and start afresh with a higher Rep character. Playing with a Rep:2 Star is just a death sentence! You may as well stick a sign on his back that says "Dead man Walking!"

House rule for ammo is a good one. it is something that I may adopt myself.

My rep2 Star was brave. He resisted an unexpected zombies attack in his home but he died tonight in his car, just after leaving he lost control and crash into a wall, alone.It was fun for me. Not for him.

For ammo house rule, it's a little more strategic. When you know you have only 5 bullets, what do you do? I use melee weapons instead, prey for my life and wish to find ammo somewhere. Original rule can be more random. But it's a choice of gameplay.

In my rule i find ammo only when i pass 2 dices on the loot table. I take an item and i roll 1D6 to know how many ammo i find. Certainly this rule is not perfect but i'm thinking about it.

Ah well, at least your star went out with a bang! Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Your house rule for finding ammo is interesting. I think it would make for a great topic on the Board of the Living Lead forum. I'd be interested to hear what others have to say on the subject. Do you mind if I open the debate?

How to Get Started Creating Miniatures

Collecting miniatures can be a fun hobby that can provide hours of lasting enjoyment. How about creating your own miniatures? Many of the miniatures that you buy at a store can be quite generic. In making your own miniatures, you can have the satisfaction of creating something yourself while giving it an individualized touch. Here are some guidelines on how to get started creating miniatures.

Develop Your Craft

Check out some miniature making books for ideas and guidelines for making miniatures. Many will have detailed step-by-step guidelines and illustrations for making miniatures, including choosing the materials, making the molds, sculpting, and painting.

Another excellent way to learn how to make miniatures is to enroll in an art degree program at a college or university. You can obtain both classroom and practical training in many different areas of art that are not only useful for making miniatures, but also for furthering an art career. For more information on art training and education, check out some art degree programs.

Guidelines for Creating Miniatures

Choosing materials – The best base material for making miniatures is polymer clay. It is very malleable yet quite strong and durable. In choosing the paint, you can use enamel-, oil- or acrylic-based paint. If using an acrylic-based, paint you will need to purchase a sealer and apply it for repeated handling. As far as tools, you will need carving knives, rubber or silicone tipped clay and paint shapers, and paint brushes.

Kneading – Once you have all of the necessary materials, take the polymer clay and kneed it for a few five minutes. This helps remove any air bubbles that are trapped in the clay.

Shaping – Take the clay and shape it into a block that is 2 to 3 inches long by ¼ to ½ inches wide. Take a clay knife and cut it down the center lengthwise, leaving hanging pieces for the legs. Cut out two even pieces on the side for creating the arms. Mold the arms, legs, and head using your fingers. Create more detail in the figure by using a carving knife and clay shaper.

Baking – Place the clay figure on a cookie sheet and bake it at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Allow it to cool.

Painting – Paint the figure with a small brush or paint shaper for added detail. Allow it to dry and then display it in a suitable location.